In the growing and continually monitored issue of outsourcing, Accenture and Unilever have agreed upon a mutually beneficial outsourcing arrangement that may prove to be a model upon which many in the financial industry can build.
The relationship between Accenture and Unilever is now in its 10th year, and this contract builds upon that existing relationship. The new contract provides application outsourcing that includes applications development, implementation, and support for Unilever across Europe. Accenture's past performance achievements, along with the company's strong global presence in the IT consulting area, has previously produced increased growth and savings for Unilever; as a result, this contract was a step forward in assuring a continued successful relationship between the two companies.
Accenture has previously provided business consulting and IT services to Unilever, and the new contract should move Unilever one step closer to simpler and more agile European IT function.
In keeping with the move towards a more unified business platform, Unilever should also see decreased costs associated with their IT function, a more standardized program, and increased flexibility in their effort to meet the goal of becoming more competitive and high-performing.
This contract is a part of Unilever's "Unilever One" program that is designed to deliver savings in the form of a unified and streamlined operating model for the company. Unilever expects to deliver these services from six countries: the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Spain and Hungary. This may also break important ground in the global operating markets for the financial and manufacturing industries.
Accenture is a leader in the outsourcing movement, offering global management consulting, technology and outsourcing options to global and domestic clients. Their business process expertise, along with global resources and a proven track record places Accenture in the unique position to catapult their clients forward with improved performance and cost savings.
